Docker sounds like something great for developers shooting for an easy distribution, yet it appears to have similar security problems that Windows/Mac distribution face.
Does this mean that you guys will never write Windows installers for the 70% of the planet that uses Windows, so that us simple folks don't have to adopt a new operating system environment?
From my user perspective, docker is portable and can run on most anything. No need to write code native to a certain platform, like Windows. It also provides all dependencies needed for the app in the container. It can also provide more security than a native platform app.
A developer just writes their code and packages it in a docker image, instead of having to write and maintain separate code for every platform.
There is always a tradeoff between security and convenience with anything. Just use common sense.
I mean...yeah. Just use common sense. The only apps I let on the host network is Channels and Jellyfin. You gotta irr on a side a precaution with stuff like this. After Channels, Open source softwares are all I have on my linux server for a reason really. You can look at it and if you smell a rat, you can just dump it.
I also run a Windows laptop and trust Microsoft with their updates.
I trust Synology and their updates for my Router and NAS's.
I trust FancyBits Channels DVR updates to the DVR and Client.
Although I try to initiate the updates after checking them and don't let them auto-update.
There are not many other I trust that much.
Any response on this?
I figure you are just trolling, but I run docker on Windows 11 with WSL. Not one issue with it.
Who are you addressing the question to since you said "you guys"?
I suppose I would be addressing the folks here on the forum that develop for Channels DVR. I don't know how to run Linux in Windows (WSL) and don't have time to learn another operating system environment, so the question seemed fairly simple. Are you willing to write a Windows installer for the software that you provide for Channels DVR users?
This probably isn't the right topic for your question.
You should address it to the developers of the projects you're interested in.
Some already have a windows version of their project.
I would guess those that distribute their projects as docker images only will not.
I started learning docker because I wanted to see if I could run Channels DVR as a docker container, instead of a Synology Package (bare metal linux). That opened the door to other docker containers.
The point of docker is that it can run under any OS. If you choose not to use docker, that's your business. Considering they offer it for free and most offer the source code, anyone willing to compile a Windows installer can have at it. It would probably cost you though.
Dear Bnhf,
You seem to create some truly extraordinary stuff for this community, pretty much all of it in Docker style distribution.
Would you be interested in developing some Windows installers and some form of GUI for all us Windows specific users, for the great stuff you do around here?
That guy is trolling around constantly. I wouldn't even bother deciphering his nonsense. He's on my ignore list for a reason
I already do, but that doesn't stop the same complaints from other OS users. Still, to answer this more in depth:
Explanation for why compiling for a specific OS is difficult (read first three)
And this is assuming the code was written in a universal language like Python and has a web front end, both of which might not be true. If you want a desktop application or use a different coding language, then none of this may apply and you might be writing for every OS individually. This is an insane amount of work to expect from people doing free work, usually alone (maybe with an AI buddy).
Even with the common code base and web front end, every deploy requires rebuilding in each OS environment. I make one small change and we are talking an hour of time just to get it set for Docker, Linux, and Windows. And that doesn't begin to get into testing! This is not a trivial commitment.
On top of that, creating self-installers themselves can be quite difficult. I wrote custom scripts for Windows and Linux, which is yet two more languages you need to know. Getting an actual desktop installer program to do what I would need to get the final program to work... yikes!
Simple directions for installing WSL and Docker Desktop in Windows
No new OS or anything required; uses all the stuff already baked into Windows. I've been using it since well before I did any development.
I know from the outside Docker can seem overwhelming, but I assure you it is not crazy difficult, especially not now with so much work having gone into making it very simple to get up and running and use. If anything, Docker on Windows through WSL has simplified my life tremendously so I could shut down stand-alone Linux machines. My entire media, work, and daily driver is run through one Windows computer.
I highly recommend any Channels user's first container be OliveTin for Channels (EZ Start: The Next Generation Edition). It will give you all the info and ability to deploy everything else. Basically, you get this running, you've got all the things people here have created and maintain.
Plus, on the actual topic of this thread, it's trustworthy! 
I appreciate you taking the time to explain a few things on your end.
A number of years ago the Channels developers told me they would no longer help me with Channels DVR problems on a Windows 7 system that I had been using in tandem for SageTV and Channels DVR servers. They advertised Win 7 as a supported operating system for another year or two on their website, but they refused to support mine. Can't really blame a developer for ditching that old Win 7, but at the same time it was a media server that could run for a couple years without any real user intervention ... until Channels DVR showed up requiring ... well, let's face it, continual user intervention.
So I bit the bullet and purchased a 12 core i5 that could handle the transcoding and do it efficiently, and run SageTV right beside it. Right about that time another forum user mentioned that he didn't have to worry about constant changes to his media server, because he was running Windows 10 LTSC (2019). I researched it, and it was the perfect fit, so I purchased it separately and installed it. Therefore, no WSL for me.
I watch in amazement at what you guys do, and basically for free, just fantastic stuff. On the other hand I'm not quite ready to ditch yet another system (or operating system) just to run a Linux environment container of which I have no knowledge, for a piece of software that should already have it baked in. Additionally, it appears that most users running various containers find that each one of them has their own need for ongoing maintenance (because everything around here is still in beta and if you don't believe me ask the other guys that posted in this thread), which added to Channels DVR's penance for user intervention, starts to look less inviting for folks that can't afford to spend a lot of time on this.
At the end of the day, every one of these containers is clearly something that could be rolled right into the Channels DVR software, but apparently we don't have developers here that are interested in doing that, and let's face it, that would mean the Channels DVR developers would have to do all the usual maintenance that they have managed to push off onto their customers. I'm glad to have the opportunity to try and understand what developers do based on your post, and at the same time I hope you can appreciate another perspective.
I'm not a troll, I'm just too busy to bother babysitting a DVR system anymore, and I've been skipping commercials with a PC based DVR for over 2 decades. I just finished my 28th straight day of work without a day off with just a few more weeks to go like this, hopefully, so I'm gonna bounce.
Kind regards.
All I can say is that a straight install of Channels DVR on a supported platform/OS you're familiar with is relatively easy, thanks to the developers.
Any add-ons or other projects here requires some technical knowledge (or learning it) and time.
Most of the regulars on this forum are tinkerers/DIY users and don't mind doing that.
Everyone has their limits. Users unfamiliar with these things either need to spend the time learning or hire a consultant to do it for them and support them.
Like hiring a financial consultant, contractor, lawyer, etc. if you don't have the knowledge or time required to gain the knowledge.
P.S. I waited a year after EOS before I migrated from WIN 7 to WIN 10 and still haven't upgraded to WIN 11 yet. But I will be forced to soon.
There was definitely some real work that went into that, and it doesn't go unnoticed.
Nearly 2 decades ago, SageTV had a "plugins" system where a user could install all this community added goodness with a couple clicks. I would ask "what happened?" but the answer would be full of excuses for why it's far more complicated today - because it's just too hard.
In the meantime, I'll continue to beg for some that good old fashioned goodness.
My apologies for taking this well-meaning thread off the rails.
No problem.
If you can think of a good title and category for this discussion, the related posts can be moved there. Even if it's a new one.
I remember when you first started using CDVR and the issues you had. That was like, 6 years ago?
I started out with my personal digital recordings using an expensive firewire hard drive attached to my first "HD" TV. Not to mention those ubiquitous VCR tapes in the analog era. Never used Sage, but did use TiVo, Plex and SD before finding Channels DVR.
Sage is still great even today, but it requires quite a bit of propping up, including using Channels DVR as its TVE tuner(s). Channels has done (2) things extremely well, TVE and remote streaming when I'm away from home. I would encourage any die-hard PC DVR fan to give Sage a shot with and HDHR OTA tuner - it is still a rare treat.
If you choose to move/create a new thread, you can name it whatever ...
"Stubborn old guy Windows user grovels for simplistic SageTV-like plugins in Channels DVR"
Are the developers here at Channels DVR planning to include any of this in the services that they offer, or are we stuck with a system of failing TVE channels and ATSC 3.0 that will render the entire Channels DVR software useless?
Search the forum, there are plenty of tutorials on how to get channels from many dofferent sources that the developers have said time and time again that they WILL NOT DIRECTLY SUPPORT.
Quit asking the same questions expecting a different response
Can someone please put this thread out of its misery and close it?